Many attempts have been made to reclaim valuable materials, such as aluminum, steel, glass and the like, from municipal refuse. Many of these attempts have included such steps as screening in a rotating drum or trommel, magnetic separation, air classification by weight and the like. While such operations are each individually known, the success rate, when measured either by the percentage of valuable material recovered or by the amount of material processed for a given rate of material recovery, for a total system has been unacceptably low. Thus, the economic justification necessary for installation and commercial operation of these systems have made these systems commercially unacceptable. It is thus the primary objective of the present invention to provide a method for material recovery, and especially aluminum can recovery, from municipal waste which raises both the percentage of valuable material collected and the processing rate of the municipal refuse to levels sufficient to justify economic operation.